Tomato Growing 2025

Agree about the Sungold - rarely let me down. The Bloody Butcher is always later for me - same as the Black Krim and Choc. cherry.

 

Just checked my notes, last two years bloody butcher is ripe 4 days before sungold. 13th and 14th July for sungold last two years. Will be interesting to see if the good spring has helped them along more, it's been pretty cool and overcast for a couple weeks now

 

Nothing ripe yet, but I've got the biggest truss I have ever seen on one of my Tigerellas!

 

Ooowerr missus.
You been looking at them old postcards I reckon.

 

The first Purple Fairy (bush type) colouring up.

 

Sowed some seeds indoors many months ago. Then planted out the seedlings into the tunnel. They sat and are still sitting.
We planted them by a trellis which also has Chinese yams growing. These were planted years ago and we forget they are there and only use the yamlets as the ones we did have outdoors we broke a spade and fork trying to dig down to Australia and back to get to the yams!
So could the yams be sending out some chemicals to stop the growth of the tomatoes?
We have had toms in different parts of the tunnel in other years and no problems, this is the first time we have planted them near the yams.
What do you think?

 

@On the Levels , I don't have a specific answer but it's certainly possible. Other plants are known to do this. The other possibility is that the yams are just taking all the water and nutrients.

 

Are your yams Dioscorea barbatus @On the Levels , I have this growing on the back wall of my house, and other plants grow around it without a problem.
I dont have tomatoes there though.

 

@pete we don't know. We many many years ago bought some seeds for somewhere that built up companions. The yams as they grew up would allow the maize to attach etc etc. So we sowed some outdoors and put one in the tunnel.
So @pete have you dug your yams up?

 

No I've not tried, I have had the small fruits growing all over and one was allowed a bit of space in the greenhouse for a couple of years, I got it out as it was rampant, I think the root snapped off.

I would imagine the root is pretty big on the one growing on the wall, it probably been there 20yrs.

 

Still got your @JWK

 

I have 2 Bloody Butcher which are all but ready for the picking. Despite having grown tomatoes for many years, the first ones ready for eating always have a touch of excitement about it. This might seem somewhat sad to admit but I don’t care.

 

I can't help you with an actual title @Sirius , but it might be worth checking out books by Bob Flowerdew [the most appropriately named person in the history of gardening!] as he grows/has grown all sorts of food plants, and possibly will have one or two with tomato info.

 

@Sirius Try Vegetable, Herbs & Fruit by Matthew Biggs, Jekka McVicar and Bob Flowerdew.
or (if you can get it) RHS Vegetables by Tony Biggs; part of the RHS Encyclopedia of Practical Gardening. I have almost the complete set from when I started gardening.